There are so many great articles from the past couple of weeks (as well as a few I listed that I missed linking in the last column). I hope you’ll take some time to peruse the links below.
I want to start with the one that’s most meaningful to me, personally, written by D.M. Dutcher, an author and friend of this blog. Lately, he’s been watching a series called The 35th Anti-Magic Platoon (he is forever watching series or reading manga I’ve never heard of) and found a common trope in anime – that of a group of people who truly support each other, becoming strength for each other’s weaknesses. Unfortunately, the Dave’s experience, and mine, too, has been that those fictional Japanese characters and their relationships are much more real, and much more Christlike, than those found in church.
For me, church was an easy place to leave once I started college. As with Dave, I found it ritualistic and lacking in genuine relationships. Thankfully, God molded me through that time and led me to a church where, actually, I still struggled to find deep friendships, but where I did find people really trying to seek God and, more importantly, the woman who would become my wife; my relationship with her (and later my children) taught me so much more about real relationship with Christ than years of surface level friendships ever could.
God’s word is so clear in how we should seek him and in how we should love each other (the church). But largely, mostly, we’re disobedient, doing things for show or avoiding investing deeply in others. As I grow in my faith, I try to become that person I needed when I was younger, trying to reach out in love and care to those in the church. Because ultimately, if we’re just “playing church,” we’ve become the exact opposite of what God would want of us, and embarrassingly, demonstrate a Christlike life less well than moe anime girls.
Read Dave’s full article at his website, Cacao, put down the shovel!
>> Bear Your Troubles
Here are the rest of the articles I dug up this week!
I really like this article about how Menma of AnoHana isn’t just a ghost – she’s a good representation, as well, of what the Holy Ghost does in believers’ lives.
Sam also watched Puella Magi Madoka Magica recently, and found a strong parallel to poor discipleship in Sayaka and Kyoko’s relationship. He also dived into each of the character, comparing Madoka to a loving Christian, Homura to a legalistic Christian, Mami to a lonely Christian, Kyoko to a discouraged Christian, and Sayaka to a deceived Christian.
Socrates, Buddhism, St. Paul, and Joseph Smith all in Angel Beats? You bet.
Expelled from Paradise deals with the oft-discussed idea of utopian societies, something that the Bible discusses, too, albeit in a very different manner.
I’ve been reading about King Saul lately, so it’s very timely to read Matthew’s post on how the king lost his humanity, like how Lin chooses to do the same in Fullmetal Alchemist and how we do, too, when we choose to sin.
Bakuman is a highly-acclaimed series about creating manga; humans perhaps share a need to be artists in different ways and see art all around us, as demonstrated by the characteristics of the Creator. Teresa Christina also writes about introverts, who often want to retreat into their comfort zones, but spiritually speaking, where should that comfort zone be? And what can characters in OHSHC, Soul Eater, and Naruto tells us about introversion?
Medieval Otaku writes about a topic that’s been on my mind lately as well – the importance of committing information, like Bible verses (or chapters or books) to memory. Rote memorization gets a bad wrap, but as Beautiful Bones – Sakurako’s Investigation demonstrates, it can actually support critical thinking skills.
The way Kirito is living (and sleeping) when Asuna first encounters him in Sword Art Online tells us much about how we should live in the here and now.
Did you watch the Bishamon mini-arc of Noragami Aragoto? It was very enthralling, and it brought up the questions of the infallibility of the divine.
Grave of the Fireflies should lead us to consider action, rather than simply feeling bad for an hour and moving on with our lives. Well, it’ll lead us to cry first; then we can do.
Not necessarily spiritual-related, but this anime comfort zone post reminded me of the different ways Christians approach media, and how the mindfulness of how we consume culture is maybe more important that what we consume (I think I’m personally Sword Art Online on the scale, btw).
The Egyptian god Medjed can be your romantic partner in a new otome game entitled, Egykoi! Egypt Kami to Koishi yo~. Oh, Japan…
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As part of the Something More series of posts, Beneath the Tangles links to writings about anime and manga that involve religion and spirituality. If you’ve written such a piece or know of one, please email TWWK to be included.
cover image art by みそら | reprinted w/permission
Lol Sword Art Online’s fan service is the one that seems the most out of place to me XD